Critic Reviews
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003) Rank 2 Reviews
Expert Review Summary
based on (280) reviews
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Reviews by Score:
Plugged In
Sci-Fi Weekly
Cinema Signals (Jules Brenner)
Some romantic/sexual interplay is kept alive by hints and promises, always at arms length. We wouldn't want to gross out the prepubescent sub teenage audience, would we? These filmmakers know where boxoffice coin will be coming from. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Cinema Signals (Jules Brenner)
Blunt Review (Emily Blunt)
Wowsers can this chickbabe kick some ***! ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Blunt Review (Emily Blunt)
Citysearch (Dan Fazio)
Calling it 'Tomb Raider of the Lost Ark' is too easy, but the similarities are striking. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Citysearch (Dan Fazio)
Jam! Movies (Louis B. Hobson)
There's a great deal more fun in this sequel. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Jam! Movies (Louis B. Hobson)
Jam! Movies (Jim Slotek)
As is so often the case, robbers emptied this tomb of ideas long ago. But it does have a lovely facade. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Jam! Movies (Jim Slotek)
Empire Movies (Takato Yamashita)
Chicago Tribune
Reel.com (Tim Knight)
Slant Magazine
cinEncanto (Pablo del Moral)
Cutting Edge
El Criticon (Antonio Méndez Casanova)
Boxoffice Magazine
The nice thing about video games is that no matter how horribly you fail, you just hit a button and the whole thing starts over again. Applying the same principle to filmmaking, the folks behind the dreadful 2001 game adaptation "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Boxoffice Magazine
Moviola (Jorge G. Avila Andrade)
Fotograma.com
Xi-online (Gejo Hoogeveen)
Mr. Brown's Movies (Michael Dequina)
Better than its predecessor--and, yes, that's every bit the backhanded compliment it sounds like. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Mr. Brown's Movies (Michael Dequina)
eCinemaCenter.com (Gabe Leibowitz)
Anyone who appreciates aesthetic pleasures will enjoy Tomb Raider 2 on a certain non-visceral level. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at eCinemaCenter.com (Gabe Leibowitz)
This is Lancashire (--)
Globe and Mail (Stephen Cole)
Despite extra scoops of action, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life isn't nearly as much fun as the original. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Globe and Mail (Stephen Cole)
Hartford Courant (--)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Duane Dudek)
After a dramatically disappointing debut in 2001, this video-game character turned action film heroine bites back with an eye-catching and imaginative globe-trotting sequel. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Duane Dudek)
Kansas City Star (Loey Lockerby)
Everything in Cradle of Life has a kind of robotic precision to it, as if looking perfect were enough to give a movie a soul. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Kansas City Star (Loey Lockerby)
Radio Free Entertainment (Andrew Manning)
Angelina Jolie returns as video game vixen Lara Croft in a by-the-numbers sequel that is weaker than the original. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Radio Free Entertainment (Andrew Manning)
Denver Rocky Mountain News (Mark Wolf)
At least now we have a clue about what's in Pandora's Box: It's movies like this. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Denver Rocky Mountain News (Mark Wolf)
Arizona Daily Star (Phil Villarreal)
The film was directed by Jan de Bont, who now should be known as F.K. Jan de Bont; the abbreviation standing for Franchise Killer. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Arizona Daily Star (Phil Villarreal)
Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
Scenery can't save this blindingly dull sequel. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
Lee's Movie Info (Lee Tistaert)
Los Angeles Daily News (Bob Strauss)
Uninvolving and formulaic, spiced up in the stretch with a couple of CGI (and looking every bit like it) Tree Hulk-type monsters. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Los Angeles Daily News (Bob Strauss)
Newsday (Gene Seymour)
After a while, you stop speculating how Croft will wriggle out of each fine mess and start checking your watch. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Newsday (Gene Seymour)
Philadelphia Inquirer (Steven Rea)
Both Tomb Raiders suffer from rampant action-adventure cliches and the sort of lumbering dialogue that harks back to the Saturday morning serials of yore. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Philadelphia Inquirer (Steven Rea)
Palo Alto Weekly (Susan Tavernetti)
Fresno Bee (Donald Munro)
Under de Bont's tutelage the franchise has shifted from amiably plodding but unique to relentlessly plodding and generic. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Fresno Bee (Donald Munro)
Detroit Free Press (John Monaghan)
Drags a 60-minute B-movie premise into something twice that long. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Detroit Free Press (John Monaghan)
eFilmCritic.com (Erik Childress)
Another lifeless big-budget sequel that's only going to remind audiences how much they really didn't like the original in the first place ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at eFilmCritic.com (Erik Childress)
Cinema Confidential (Thomas Chau)
Like most other action films this summer, The Cradle of Life does little to convince us that sequels are worthy companions to the original. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Cinema Confidential (Thomas Chau)
DVD Clinic ("Indiana Sev")
Globetrotting large-breasted British adventuress Lara Croft (Jolie) is at it again. She’s kicking some ass and performing some of the same lavish stunts she’s famous for from her popular video game. This time around, Lara’s trying to stop some asshole ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at DVD Clinic ("Indiana Sev")
Natural Born Viewers (Andrew Mackay)
If there's one thing worse than a bad movie it's an average movie. A movie that's totally bereft of idea, concept or originality. What's worse is an amalgam of average and stolen formula. When a movie scores half marks right across the board in ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Natural Born Viewers (Andrew Mackay)
Movie Gazette (Gary Panton)
It's watching films like this that make you really appreciate just how good the Indiana Jones movies really are. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Movie Gazette (Gary Panton)
JoBlo's Movie Emporium ("JoBlo")
This franchise needs to be given to someone who knows how to make a fun, all-around exciting adventure film (Stephen Sommers perhaps?) and not the folks who have been draining the life out of its vivid lead character of Lara Croft over its initial two ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at JoBlo's Movie Emporium ("JoBlo")
Perth Sunday Times
SPLICEDwire (Rob Blackwelder)
Movies for Guys
Overall it's not a bad way to kill an afternoon, but this one can certainly wait till DVD. And for those of you who just want to see Lara in her wetsuit, that all happens in the first 15 ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Movies for Guys
filmcritic.com (Amit Asaravala)
What is it about archaeology that makes us want to go to the movies? Is it the magic of being able to breathe life into ancient legends, like the riddle of the Sphinx and the lost city of Atlantis? Is it the illusion of uncovering the secrets behind ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at filmcritic.com (Amit Asaravala)
Palo Alto Online (Susan Tavernetti)
Paul Bettany and Nicole Kidman in DogvilleIt's being hailed as pretentious, audacious and anti-American. Other reviews have called it bold, misogynistic and thoroughly original. Dogville is all of these things, not to mention utterly brilliant. Director ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Palo Alto Online (Susan Tavernetti)
Laramie Movie Scope (Robert Roten)
So what we are left with is an action film with cold, colorless characters. It looks great and it is very kinetic, but the same skill, care and attention to detail is lacking in the characterizations. The plot is very predictable and hence not compelling. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Laramie Movie Scope (Robert Roten)
Reel Movie Critic (Sergio Mims)
New York Post (Jonathan Foreman)
These days, many of Hollywood's outstanding purveyors of summer action schlock — Roland Emmerich, Paul Verhoeven, Wolfgang Petersen, Tony Scott — are Europeans, so it should come as no surprise that the helmer of "LC 2" is Jan ("Speed," "Twister") de ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at New York Post (Jonathan Foreman)
Hollywood.com (Guylaine Cadorette)
The film plays out like the multilevel video game, but unlike its PlayStation2 counterpart, we have no control over the action. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Hollywood.com (Guylaine Cadorette)
New York Times (Dave Kehr)
Lara Croft lopes from one action set-piece to the next without developing any real rhythm or drive. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at New York Times (Dave Kehr)
Boxoffice Magazine (Michael Tunison)
At least a bit more comprehensible than its predecessor -- say, a second-rate Indiana Jones rip-off instead of a third-rate Indiana Jones rip-off. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Boxoffice Magazine (Michael Tunison)
DVDTalk.com (Megan Denny)
It begs borrows and steals from every action movie that ever turned a profit ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at DVDTalk.com (Megan Denny)
Toronto Star (Geoff Pevere)
While there's compelling evidence that Angelina Jolie is a real person, you'd never guess it watching Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle Of Life . ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Toronto Star (Geoff Pevere)
Teletext (Annette Dasey)
Angelina Jolie's once again strapped on those hilariously-huge fake bazookas, which are about the only things that lift this movie from its celluloid plateau. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Teletext (Annette Dasey)
Los Angeles Times (Manohla Dargis)
A distinct if distinctly minor improvement on the first. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Los Angeles Times (Manohla Dargis)
Empire Magazine (--)
Film Threat (--)
Moviehole (--)
At-A-Glance Film Reviews (--)
ShowBIZ Data (--)
Las Vegas Weekly (Josh Bell)
Jolie does her best, delivering her mediocre lines like they were the cleverest writing in the history of cinema, but goodwill for the star only carries a film so far. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Las Vegas Weekly (Josh Bell)
TV Guide's Movie Guide (Maitland McDonagh)
Jolie is a far better actress than this relentlessly shallow material warrants. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at TV Guide's Movie Guide (Maitland McDonagh)
Arizona Republic (Bill Muller)
Inane claptrap that's sure to be forgotten in the time it takes to rattle off its elongated title. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Arizona Republic (Bill Muller)
RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland) (Harry Guerin)
Doubtless the game will be cherished for years to come, as a big screen franchise though, Tomb Raider looks dead and buried. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland) (Harry Guerin)
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (Jack Garner)
Here [Lara's] a cookie-cutter action hero. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (Jack Garner)
filmcritic.com (Amit Asaravala)
The end result is a movie that tries -- and fails -- to be much more than it really is. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at filmcritic.com (Amit Asaravala)
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) (Ken Hanke)
Saying that The Cradle of Life is better than the original is on par with saying that sudden painless death is preferable to expiring by a long and painful disease. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) (Ken Hanke)
Peter Sobczynski
Xiibaro Productions (David Perry)
Hollywood Report Card (Ross Anthony)
Silly story, but good action,
cinematography, strong score, and the mighty Angelina
Jolie keep this action figure afloat. That is until a
less than watertight plot brings the action to
Africa. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Hollywood Report Card (Ross Anthony)
The UK Critic (Ian Waldron-Mantgani)
And that, I'm afraid, is all the energy I am willing to expend on writing about this film. ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at The UK Critic (Ian Waldron-Mantgani)
Steve Rhodes
Is this Lara Croft movie better than the first one? I guess, but that's not exactly a ringing endorsement. Other than ogling Jolie, there's simply no reason whatsoever to see it.LARA CROFT TOMB RAIDER: THE CRADLE OF LIFE runs 1:58. It is rated PG13 for ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at Steve Rhodes
Boston Herald (James Verniere)
The Land of Eric (Eric D. Snider)
The thought of seeing Angelina Jolie in a tight T-shirt may be reason (reasons?) enough to see the film, but I doubt it. Find a picture of her on the Internet and stare at it for a couple hours. You'll find more amusement that way than you would ...read the complete Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie review at The Land of Eric (Eric D. Snider)
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